The Old Beijing Hutongs and Alley

The capital of China, Beijing, has developed at an immensely prompt speed. The scintillating and ultra modern structures give an image of perfectly developed society. But if you sneak a quick look behind one of these bright coloured tower blocks you will find the true and old Beijing, the one that has been lost in time.

To enjoy the flavor of true and old Beijing, the best place to visit is The Old Beijing’s hutongs and hundreds of year’s old tree lined alleyways. This is the most serene and beautiful sight when talking about this marvelous city, one of the reasons of its beauty is its captivating past that can be seen and felt all around these alleyways.

This is the place where you find the true scent of the life of our ancestors. While the people living in the other parts of Beijing are all well equipped with the latest technologies and gadgets, here you would find old men enjoying their evenings with a glass of ale, playing a game of chess in front of their hundred year old Hutong houses.

This is the place where you would hardly find a taxi; instead you would find traders of small things such as eggs, rice, or even beer selling all this on their noisy cycle rickshaws, bawling at the top of their voices to get the attention of potential buyers. It seems quite interesting when liquor is delivered at your doorstep.

Beautiful, old patio, cozy houses are the building blocks of these amazing labyrinths of pathways. The houses which are more revered have red doors with a pair of lions or drum stones outside their doors.

Over the time, many changes have been made to these houses. The living standards of these houses are not of very high quality, but they have all the basic facilities at the best level. They are small one room houses with one little kitchen and joint bathroom.

This is one amazing example of prehistoric and refined architecture; these alleys have been there for centuries, their number drastically increased in Genghis khan’s time.

The unfortunate reality is that over past few centuries they have not been given excellent importance, or maintenance. In 2009, almost all of the patio houses were bulldozed. However, luckily few of the Hutong alleyways were protected. But the future of these alleyways is still unsteady with their village like approach in the Capital city.

If you wish to explore the true feel of Hutong alleyways, then the best ways are either to go by foot or rent a cycle. There are multiple amazing places that you could visit, including, Drum tower, Dashilan. And if you wish to take a sip of something majestic, the imperial hutong patios are the most appropriate option.

These hutong alleyways hold great historical value, and if it is given due importance it can become something of exceptional tourist value.

This is a famous place to visit if you wish to explore the old as well as see the simplest living with a blend of architectures that hold immense value in the history.